Unbiased beauty product reviews & tips

w7 the naughty nine

Over the past year, I have been working towards a more minimal lifestyle and have been trying to declutter my life. One area that really overwhelmed me was my beauty stash. So I’ve managed to reduce it quite considerably, I now only have products that I love and use regularly. I don’t hang on to things just in case I might want to use them, or make excuses to buy new products when I clearly do not need them. Today I’m sharing most of the products that are in my everyday makeup bag and I would say it is a third of the makeup I now currently own and that makes me so happy!

I’m usually the person who has multiple mascaras on the go at once, forever on the quest for the perfect all-rounder that ticks all the boxes. Well, I am here to tell you, I have found it and it is the Urban Decay Trouble Maker Mascara (please never let them discontinue it). I only have one mascara in my collection and it is this one. It is all I need. First up the packaging is super cool and looks like an oil slick, I love it. The wand has quite short bristles that apply the perfect amount of product to each lash & make them look thick, voluminous and the formula is so black! Zero clumping, no fallout and it doesn’t transfer or smudge. It is a pain to get off but that means it has some serious staying power. This is my number 1, my holy grail the ONLY mascara I need in my life. Oh, & it is Vegan, so that is a big plus.

I go between this and the Essence Brow Mascara, they’re almost identical and similar in quality, the Rimmel one I think has slightly better staying power. The Essence one is Vegan and Cruelty-Free but I can only get it in Wilko and that isn’t a shop I have locally so the Rimmel version is a good back up for me. This adds a nice amount of colour and texture to your brows, I like that you can use it alone for an effortless look or on top of your powder to set your brows and add a little more colour. It gives the illusion that I spend more time on my brows that I actually do and that’s what I want. I am all about that simple makeup life.

This is the creamiest stick concealer I have ever used. I tend to steer clear of stick foundations & concealers as they’re usually quite dry and hard to apply but this is buttery and blends like a dream. I use it everywhere, under eye bags, blemishes, redness and it covers all my imperfections with ease without looking heavy. I would say this gives very decent medium coverage. I quite often just apply this and feel confident enough to not wear foundation. It has been a lifesaver during the crazy heatwave because its formula is sweat, water and smudge resistant!

Enriched with a careful dose of mineral pigments, beeswax, carnauba wax and a lightweight oil, the formula allows for more spreadable and waterproof coverage that blends in effortlessly.

I do have a couple of other bronzers but I just always go back to this Urban Decay one because it is matte and the colour is perfect for giving the skin a subtle healthy sun-kissed warmth. It is a lovely natural colour (on me) and you can easily build it up without it looking muddy or orange. It has been my goto bronzer this Summer and for £23 I think it is a Summer Holiday must have!

These two cheek products are stunning – I have used them for years, I wouldn’t be without them in my collection. I like that they both have a highlight, glow feel to them. The blush is a stunning light pink, peach on the cheeks with a gorgeous gold glow running though. It adds a healthy fresh glow to any look. The bronzer is a beautiful golden glow and I often use it as an eyeshadow and brow highlight.

This creamy foundation gives a nice medium coverage whilst feeling lightweight on the skin, I hate it when your base feels thick and heavy. This foundation is enriched with a complex of vitamin b3, e, pro-vitamin b5 and cranberry water, it is fantastic to see a budget-friendly foundation with such fantastic skincare benefits added to their formula. These ingredients are going to help your skin glow, look refreshed and awake. I use it as my everyday foundation and quite often I don’t even feel the need to powder, it does have a nice glow to it without looking greasy or shiny. For £5 you need to try it!

I always travel with this 9 pan eyeshadow palette. It’s super compact and has 9 wearable, versatile shades. I can create a simple, smokey or even a bold eye look with this palette and it has a really nice mix of matte and shimmer finishes. For under £4 the quality is pretty damn good & I’m here to tell you that you 100% need it in your makeup bag.

This is nothing short of liquid magic, It’s flipping amazing. This is a highlighter, primer and serum in one (love a multi-use product) it instantly blurs imperfections and gives a healthy dewy, even-toned radiance. Designed to create a photo-ready finish on all skin types, this complexion perfector creates a lit-from-within glow in seconds with a wide variety of light-refracting prisms, tone and hue correctors, and photo-finishing technologies.

So you can apply to your skin alone or wear it under your favourite foundation to add a beautiful radiance and correct discolouration. It can also be mixed with other products for subtle radiance. It’s such an easy product to incorporate into your makeup routine. I haven’t ever used a product quite like this & I just can’t get across to you just how incredible it is and how radiant and glowing my skin looks when I wear it.

I am a loyal user of the Vichy Dermablend 3d Liquid Foundation and I am so pleased to have discovered this high coverage compact powder option. This is a really lovely foundation that has buildable coverage. The lightweight powder sits nicely in the skin giving you a velvety matte finish and it covers imperfections with ease. I wear shade 25 Nude and it’s a good all year round shade for me. When I want to achieve that full coverage, makeup last all day look I often set my liquid foundation with this powder simply because it makes my skin look incredible (flawless) and everything is locked in place all day! It is a great foundation if you have redness, acne scarring or just want a more full coverage look without your makeup looking heavy or dusty.

Imperfections are decreased by up to 60% day after day with active dermatological ingredients including sebum-regulating zinc gluconate and anti-imperfection salicylic acid and vitamin E. The appearance of pores is reduced and skin texture looks improved.

I must confess that I rarely wear lipstick or anything on my lips for that matter. I have a very small collection of lip products now and they’re all pretty much nude shades apart from a couple of more deep Autumnal colours. I like to wear quite a basic lip colour and go bolder on my eye look and I find Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks to be some of the most comfortable and long-wearing. This pinky nude shade freshens up any makeup look as works day to night. I love it and the packaging feels super luxe and special.